Crosby has officially taken the next big step toward returning to the ice for the Penguins, according to Shelley Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to Anderson, Crosby was on the ice for the team's pregame skate today, although it's not clear whether or not he'll be playing for them soon.

Crosby, who skated earlier, is back on the ice with his teammates for #Penguins game-day skate.

...According to the newspaper report, Crosby is expected to meet with doctors Thursday or Friday to seek permission to play again. His return, though, likely won't be until Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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UPDATE: Monday, April 15, at 10:59 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Encouraging news for Penguins fans, as Sidney Crosby was seen skating on the ice this morning before practice, the team announced.

Sidney Crosby recently spoke out regarding his injury. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Seth Rorabaugh has the latest:

Video courtesy of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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UPDATE: Tuesday, April 2 at 1:05 p.m. ET by Sam Westmoreland

With Sidney Crosby out of the hospital, the Penguins star was ready to talk a little about how he was feeling. There's just one problem: Crosby still can't talk, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. So, Crosby wrote to the media and responded to their questions about his status. Per the Post-Gazette:

Crosby wrote that he's resigned to a diet of "soup and shakes for a while" and that verbal communication is pretty much out of the question "for another couple days" because he is "pretty swollen right now."

Crosby was struck in the face by a puck in the second minute of the Penguins' 2-0 victory Saturday against the New York Islanders, and subsequently was hospitalized so that he could undergo extensive dental work and have his fractured jaw surgically repaired.

"People have been awesome at the hospital and guys have been in to visit," Crosby wrote. "Staff [from the Penguins] as well."

While there is still no timetable for the forward's return, it's good to see him out of the hospital and in good spirits after that nasty shot.

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UPDATE: Tuesday, April 2, at 11:42 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

We still do not know when Sidney Crosby will return to game action, but the good news is that he is out of the hospital, the Penguins announced on Twitter this morning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' official website indicates that Crosby has undergone oral surgery. The report by Sam Kasan quotes head coach Dan Bylsma, who provided details on the damage:

Sidney Crosby took a puck to the teeth, and lost a few of those. ... He had to have oral surgery. We’ll continue to evaluate and monitor that. That’s the report on "Sid" going to the hospital and losing teeth.

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Crosby doesn't seem too concerned with the injury, according to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

#TribHKY >> Told by someone close to Crosby that injury is "mostly teeth." #pens

Crosby is the star of Pittsburgh's No. 1-ranked attack and is currently the NHL's leading point scorer this season with 56 points (41 assists and 15 goals) through 35 regular-season games.

The sight of a star player on the ice clutching his face is never good, but certainly not in Crosby's case.

The 25-year-old almost had his career cut short by concussion-like symptoms after taking several hits to his head two seasons ago. The issues forced Crosby to miss 41 regular-season games in 2010-11 and all but 22 regular-season games last year.

This season, Crosby has not only stayed healthy, playing in all 35 of Pittsburgh's games coming into Saturday, but he's returned to his dominant ways by creating, scoring and doing all the little things that help win hockey games.

Crosby and the Pens have won 14 straight games coming into the weekend and are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference standings with 54 points.